By Roderick McClain
12-23-10 – The Governor's Highway Safety Program launched its latest Booze It & Lose It campaign this month and more than 1,400 drivers have already been charged with driving while impaired. Last year, more than 11,000 accidents involving drunk driving were reported. In those crashes, nearly 9,000 people were injured.
Statewide, 394 people died in those alcohol-related wrecks.
Beth Horner works for the Governor's Highway Safety Program. She says twenty four of those 394 people were between the ages of 15 and 19.
"Drinking and driving is an issue all year round, but specifically around the holiday season. Obviously this year we've had some unseasonable weather, and so you throw that in the mix and it can be a treacherous time for folks out there driving."
Horner says the most effective strategy for a safe, enjoyable season is a few minutes of advance planning. Partygoers should select a sober driver, or save cab company phone numbers in their cell phones.